Nederland falters in opener to Crosby

Published 12:10 am, Saturday, August 30, 2014

Specifically, Sage Seay's cramped leg, which altered the course of a 25-20 Nederland defeat at Crosby Friday to open the 2014 season.

Without about three minutes left in the third quarter, Seay's leg cramped-up for the second consecutive drive.

The second time, it was bad enough that Seay was taken out for the remainder of the game.

Seay's absence took an entire dimension out of the Nederland offense and the Bulldogs could not recover.

The ever-present threat of Seay's legs as well as his arm, which made up the majority of Nederland's offense in the first half, was gone. As a result, the Bulldogs gained minus 10 yards on the ground in the second half and finished with 86 on 35 attempts for the game.

Senior Bret Smith took over at quarterback and completed 10-of-20 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. However, he was sacked five times, which contributed to the low rushing net total. Smith's favorite target was Jace Bordelon, who caught six passes for 75 yards and Nederland's lone score in the second half.

While the offense stalled, Nederland's defense kept the game within striking distance. However, Crosby's rushing game, which yielded 289 yards, proved too much. Senior D'onta Allen ran for 167 yards on 14 carries with a 50-yard score on the first Crosby play of the second half.

Those opening drives of the third quarter were a clear indicator that things would not be the same as they were in the first half. After Nederland led 14-3 with five minutes left in the second quarter, Crosby scored 22 unanswered points before the Bulldogs struck with 1:16 left in the game.